Iran Angrily Denounces Danish Accusations

Analysts weigh in on risks and highlights

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has put on a flamboyant display of outraged indignation over Denmark’s accusations that Iranian agents were in the advanced stages of a plot to murder an Iranian dissident on Danish soil, summoning Denmark’s ambassador in Teheran for a “strong protest” Wednesday and mounting a public relations campaign against the accusation in various media outlets, as well as online. Denmark promptly recalled its ambassador and has announced plans to consult with its European allies in an effort to form a united front against Iran’s aggression.

"There is a need to show Iran that we are well aware of what took place and that we don't accept it," Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Wednesday. Denmark has received diplomatic support for its moves from the US and the European Commision.

A man of Iranian descent but holding a Norwegian passport was arrested earlier this month in Sweden on suspicion of taking part in illegal activities. He was extradited to Denmark and is being held there on suspicion of participation in a plot to assassinate the leader of the Danish branch of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of al-Ahvaz (ASMLA), an organization which wishes to gain independence for ethnic Arabs in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan. Iranian security officials have accused the group of terrorist attacks in Iran, including a deadly shooting attack on a military parade in Teheran earlier this year.

In related news, Iranian President Hassan Rohani said during a televised meeting with his cabinet on Wednesday that "The situation was hard for people in the recent months, and it may be hard in the next several months, too." He was referring to the catastrophic economic conditions in Iran which most analysts expect to worsen following the imposition of even more strict sanctions by the US in response to the Islamic Republic’s continuation of its renegade nuclear program.

“You will not be able to reach any of your goals with regard to Iran's oil," Rouhani warned the US in his remarks. "You will not be able to bring it to zero or reduce it."